


A Pattern

by kitsunequeen



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Brett is a jealous dork, First Date, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Slash, Scent Marking, also posted to tumblr, who has a big misunderstanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-25
Updated: 2014-10-25
Packaged: 2018-02-22 12:55:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2508632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitsunequeen/pseuds/kitsunequeen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I see you’re still wearing my sweater.” Brett’s voice and heartbeat are level, but Liam can definitely hear something wrong there.<br/> “Yeah sorry I- it was cold and I didn’t get a chance to uh… no but yeah, here,” Liam stutters.<br/>He tugs at it, about to take it off, when Brett says, “No. It’s fine, I have other sweaters I can wear. It’s definitely cold tonight.” He runs his hands up and down his arms for emphasis. <br/>It’s seventy degrees out.<br/>Neither one of them is cold. </p><p>OR</p><p>The one where Brett indirectly scent marks Liam, and Liam can't figure out why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Pattern

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt sent to me on tumblr, also posted there (ghostargents)

Liam doesn’t even notice it at first. When he does, he thinks he’s probably just reading too much into it, looking for something more in things that could be easily brushed off. After a while, though, there’s no denying Brett’s acting a little strange. He’d never been much of a touchy-feely person. Now, though, Liam seems to find him standing just a bit closer than necessary, brushing their shoulders in wide hallways, being right at his side when the two packs meet up. Liam would love for it to be something more, because if he has to be a werewolf he can at least have a hot werewolf boyfriend, right? But no, he has to constantly remind himself that it’s probably nothing, that Brett probably only tolerates him, at best. Still… he’d once heard Stiles say something interesting; once is an incident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern. Liam decides maybe it’s time to look for a pattern.

 

 **Once** :

 “You know, there’s no point teaching us to defend ourselves when it’s this cold out. At this rate, we’re more likely to die of frostbite than a werewolf attack,” Stiles grumbles, pulling the strings of his red hoodie tighter, practically leaving only his nose to stick out. 

“Stiles, it’s like fifty degrees,” Kira laughs.

 “Yeah yeah yeah. Where’s Isaac with his stupid scarves when you need him?”

 Liam doesn’t say anything, despite the goosebumps he can feel forming on his arms. After everything with the assassins, Scott had insisted on weekly training sessions in the woods, inviting along Satomi’s pack too. Liam had already missed it last week in favor of lacrosse practice- in all honesty, being attacked by a rogue omega sounded better than listening to another one of Coach’s lectures- and he couldn’t skip it again. As the hours tick by, though, he’s practically freezing.  When Scott dismisses them, it’s nearly eleven, and the walk home isn’t looking so great. As he trudges in the direction of his house, he hears footsteps behind him. He turns around, fangs bared in defense, and is promptly hit in the face by something soft and green. It falls away, and Brett stands there, smirking.  

“Little on edge? I could hear your teeth chattering from twenty feet away. Maybe bring a coat next time.” Just like that, he’s gone, leaving Liam alone in the woods, holding a green lacrosse hoodie with TALBOT on the back in big white letters. It isn’t touching him, per se, but it’s close. Only an incident, Liam reminds himself, pulling the hoodie over his head.

 

**Twice:**

 “TALBOT!” Coach screams, blowing incessantly into his whistle. Liam’s pretty sure he’s not really supposed to do that, but from his current position, who cares?

“FOUL! That is a FOUL!” he hollers, and the ref jogs over to where Liam lays on the ground. Brett stands over him, a tiny smile on his face.  

"Alright what the hell was that?” the ref demands, reaching down a hand to yank Liam back to his feet.

 “Just making the pass,” Brett shrugs.

 “You’ve knocked this one kid off his feet four times. That coach is literally gonna explode if you touch him again.”

 “Just having a bad night, I guess,” Brett says, voice cool as ever.

 “You so much as brush into him once more and you’re outta this game. Hear me?” 

“Yessir,” he agrees. “Sorry Liam.” He reaches out, shaking Liam’s hand. To anyone watching it would just look like he’s trying to placate the referee. To Liam though… _Twice_ , he thinks. _A coincidence_.

 

**Three Times:**

Liam’s curled up on his bed, studying his history notes when his window slides open. He sits up quickly, ready to defend, ashamed for not having heard the intruder earlier. His fangs descend as the person leaps through the open window, landing crouched on the floor. When they stand, though, Liam just rolls his yellow eyes.

 “Automatic defense mechanism, huh?” Brett asks, taking a seat in Liam’s computer chair.

 “When someone comes flying through my window? Yeah.”

 “Doors are no fun,” Brett says, leisurely rolling his chair across the room, kicking his feet up on Liam’s desk.

 “Whatever.” Then, “Do you need something?” Sure, idle chitchat is great and all, but if they’re not gonna get to the point, Liam has two more tests to study for. Damn Lydia for convincing him to take honors classes.  

“Looks different in here,” Brett says, standing again. Okay, so apparently they’re gonna keep up the meaningless small talk. The comment, though, brings Liam a weird mix of nostalgia and something else, something he can’t even place, because of course it looks different. Brett hadn’t been in his room since they’d been at Devonford together. That right there is a very touchy subject.  “I mean it’s been a while,” he adds, as though reading Liam’s mind. He begins pacing the room, dragging his fingers over the desk, along the wall, randomly picking up some of the junk Liam has strewn everywhere as though it’s all terribly interesting, then setting it back down.  

“I see you’re still wearing my sweater.” Brett’s voice and heartbeat are level, but Liam can definitely hear something wrong there.

 “Yeah sorry I- it was cold and I didn’t get a chance to uh… no but yeah, here,” Liam stutters. Yeah, he’d enjoyed the warmth, but there was something else, something more, that just felt right when he was wearing it.  

He tugs at it, about to take it off, when Brett says, “No.” He winces a little at his own bluntness but manages, “It’s fine. I have other sweaters I can wear. It’s definitely cold tonight.” He runs his hands up and down his arms for emphasis. 

It’s seventy degrees out.

Neither one of them is cold.

 They let it drop though, for their own sakes. There’s tension now, practically palpable. Brett resumes his walking, and it’s only when he picks up one of Liam’s shirts, and Liam can absolutely swear he gives it a nonchalant sniff, that he cracks.  “What’re you doing?” he demands.  

Brett turns around, his face a picture of innocence. “What am I doing?”

 “Are you kidding? You keep touching everything I own! My clothes and my stuff and ME, for one thing. You tackled me a grand total of five times during lacrosse, literally got yourself kicked outta the game for it. You’re climbing in my window at eight o’clock at night when you know you haven’t been here in months. You just _sniffed_ my t shirt! So yeah. What. Are. You. Doing?” he demands, punctuating each word.  

“Me? What’re YOU doing,” Brett snaps, and the sudden change of tone makes Liam realize he must’ve been holding something in for days.  

“I’m not doing anything! You’re the one who’s touching me any chance you can get!” Liam immediately regrets how bad he’d made that sound when he sees the look on Brett’s face.  

“Well maybe,” he grinds out, not leaving Liam time to take it back, “if you weren’t going around smelling like another wolf, we wouldn’t be having this problem. I don’t know what the hell Scott thinks he’s doing letting you go out and hang around with omegas. Does he even know them? Because HE doesn’t smell like them. Or do you just not tell him? Is that it? You have some sort of death wish? They’re dangerous, Liam.” He practically growls the last sentence, sounding pretty dangerous himself.  

“I don’t know what you’re-"

 “Oh, right!” Brett interjects. “You don’t know what I’m talking about. I definitely can’t smell him on you and literally everything you own, right? We’re not losing any more people Liam, and we’re sure as hell not losing you, so I don’t care if this guy’s your friend or your boyfriend or whatever he is, you can’t see him. A rogue omega can kill you without even worrying about repercussions from his pack. So knock it off.”  

“What are you talking about?” Liam growls back. “I don’t know any omegas! And what does that have to do with anything anyway!? I asked why you keep touching me, not about your ridiculous need to protect me. I’m not five okay? I don’t need you.” He’s being cruel and he knows it. The brief satisfaction he gets from the stricken look on Brett’s face only lasts for a second, before crumpling into guilt in the pit of his stomach. Brett’s just trying to protect him. He’s misguided, but still…  

“I keep touching you,” Brett starts fervently, but he slows down, like he’s not sure how to finish the thought. “I keep touching you,” he tries again, “because you smell like another wolf. My wolf doesn’t like it, okay? If Scott’s noticed, I bet he doesn’t either. I want you to smell like your pack and my pack and me.” Something about scenting floats into Liam’s mind. He doesn’t know much about it, only that Scott mentioned it a few times, that he does it to Kira, that mates do it as a way of claiming. Brett quickly realizes what he’d said and plows on, not leaving Liam time to think about it.

“But fine. Whatever. Smell like your stupid omega and see who cares. I don’t.” He turns to storm out and Liam whips off the sweater and throws it at his back. A pang runs through him at the memory in the woods.  

“There,” Liam grinds out. “Take your stupid sweater back.” 

Brett holds it for a second before letting out a derisive laugh. “You asshole,” he seethes. “It’s freaking covered in his fur.” He turns on his heel and starts out again because that… that hurt. Liam had literally been cuddling with this guy while wearing Brett’s sweater. Talk about adding insult to injury. He stops again though when he hears Liam laughing. Laughing and laughing and laughing. “What’s so funny,” he demands, not sure he even wants to know.  

“You think I’m the asshole? That’s Graham’s fur.” 

“Great. He has a name. Congra-” Brett starts angrily.  

“Graham, c’mere!” Liam yells, cutting him off.  The guy was here? Liam has to be freaking kidding.  

Suddenly a dog darts in the room, brushing past Brett’s leg as he enters.  “This is Graham,” Liam says, all hostility drained from his voice. “Is that your omega?”  

Brett stares. He sniffs. Oh. _Oh_.  

This cannot be happening to him.  

Liam continues to laugh, and Brett has half a mind to smack the grin off his face.  Liam scoops the dog off the floor- a toy poodle, no less. Brett thinks being jealous of a lapdog must be a new low- and waves its tiny paw at Brett.

 “This is him, right?” Liam asks again.  Mechanically, Brett nods.  It makes sense. It makes so much sense that it’s actually painful to think about. Liam gets a new dog, naturally he smells like the stupid thing all the time, and of course it smelled like an omega because it is one, in the dog world.  Before he can really think it through, Brett takes a few steps forward, opting to kiss the smirk off his face instead. It works.  

Liam lowers himself a little to release the dog, not breaking the kiss the whole time. Weeks of waiting and wanting are buried in both of them, and Liam actually lets Brett lift him, wrapping his legs around his waist to reach better. When they finally pull away it’s only for air, and they keep their foreheads lightly pressed together, not wanting to separate just yet.

 “I’m sorry,” Brett breathes. “I’m such an idiot.”  Liam lets out a little huff of laughter and shakes his head.

“It’s okay. You were just trying to protect me.” After a second he adds, “I mean Graham can be pretty scary.”

He kisses Brett again before he can defend himself.

~~~~~

The next week, they sit on the couch in Liam’s living room, fingers laced together and resting on Brett’s knee as Star Wars plays- Stiles had insisted if any more pack members were having movie dates, that was gonna have to be the plan.  Graham’s tiny nails click against the wooden floor as he patters into the room, jumping up on the couch and crawling into Liam’s lap. Not even taking his eyes from the screen, Brett lets out a low growl. Graham whimpers and licks his hand, then leaps back to the floor and scurries from the room.

“Did you just assert your dominance over my puppy?” Liam asks, the ridiculous grin coming back.  

“Shhhh,” Brett says, lifting their still intertwined hands to point at the screen. “Movie’s on. Very impolite to talk.”

 “Whatever you say.” Liam shakes his head fondly, snuggling closer into Brett’s side.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I have a few more pieces for them on tumblr I'll be posting here soon, and I'm writing a few more now. Comments and kudos are always appreciated<3


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